5 Of Our Favorite Cadillac Land Yachts Of All Time

Horsepower, speed figures, and lap times are concepts closely associated with the car industry, but the word luxury is spoken just as often. Some brands base their identities on luxury, and others advertise finer features as upmarket options. But what really is luxury? Some might say it is in the materials used in carbon fiber aero kits or perhaps in the interior of the car, often cocooned in wood and leather. Others imagine the hand-painted coachline on a Rolls-Royce, or the engineering in a German limousine. Whatever definition you subscribe to, the common denominator for luxury is having more than you need.

Cadillac understands this perfectly. Cadillac has been producing cars that define excess so literally that some of its top models are what many call land yachts. If luxury is having more, then bigger must be better — a philosophy common in American design. American cars are known to have bigger engines than their counterparts from other parts of the world, but Cadillac has always done that bigness with a conscious and tasteful finesse. Throughout its long tenure, Cadillac has produced a huge catalogue of these land yachts, but a few examples stand out from the rest. Here are five of our favorite Cadillac land yachts of all time.

When speaking of Cadillac land yachts, there is perhaps no car more deserving of that title than the 1960 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz. At the time of its release, America was enjoying the fruits of an economic boom after the Second World War, and just about everything American was big, eye-catching, and desirable. The Eldorado Biarritz is a clear child of the romance and optimism of its time, and was the halo car of the Cadillac lineup, making it a symbol of American success and excess.

The Eldorado Biarritz wore styling that made it a treat to see, and even more of a treat to be seen driving it, which was easy given its lack of a roof. One of the Biarritz's defining features was its fins. The designers behind this Biarritz perfectly captured the wonder of air travel via jet, with this pair of long and slinking fins that stretched from the C-pillar to the rear of the car. Continuing with this space age swagger, the taillights — which came as stacks of two red circles on either side — were encased in chrome tips just under the fins, evoking the look of a spaceship's thrusters. These looks and longness gave it the stretched-out, nonchalant vibe that defined the style The Eldorado Biarritz is one of history's definitive land yachts, and examples from around 1960 can go for over 50 times the original cost.

Fast forward to the '80s, and we've reached the tail end of the golden age of land yachts. Cadillac was still producing the gigantic cars with no change in disposition. One such example comes in the form of the 1984 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. Where the Eldorado Biarritz looks like everything you'd imagine the '60s to be, the Fleetwood looks like the American '80s on wheels. Although the oil crisis of the '70s had shrunk most cars, the Fleetwood retained the elongated look that Cadillac was known for, and it helped preserve the land yacht DNA a little while longer.

The 1984 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham was 121.5 inches long, and a formidable presence on the road; One earlier example was even picked up on "American Pickers." Though its silhouette was boxy, as with most other cars of the '80s, it still retained a streamlined look that preserved the handsomeness Cadillac is known for. The boxiness also gives it a stately look, almost like you're driving a mansion or a chateau. The interior follows suit, featuring long bench seats, with options including wood and velvet trim. The front grille is wide and pointed, and its ends trace slanted lines onto the hood to sharpen off the squareness. On top of it all, the Fleetwood proudly wears a Cadillac hood ornament, as if the looks weren't enough to tell you who made it.

Backtracking to 1968, and we're in the height of the land yacht obsession. This time, the Cadillac Coupe DeVille was Cadillac's representative for what a great big American luxury car could be. The Coupe DeVille line served as the replacement for the series 62 line (which the Eldorado Biarritz was a part of), and it took many of its predecessor's styling cues and character into the future. Beyond looks, the Coupe DeVille also featured changes to the interior and powertrain to modernize further what Cadillac had created in the series 62 models.

The Coupe DeVille was Cadillac's halo car of the time, and that meant it had to be the best of the best. It received the brand's largest engine, the 472-cid, a V8 that offered 375 horsepower. Inside, everything was wide and adorned with leather. The inside was suave and spacious, evoking the look of a cigar lounge that had suddenly grown wheels. The outside was slightly more reserved than what we saw on the previous series 62 models, but by no means boring. The fins across the rear had stayed, although they were flatter, and the slightly bulbous and round creases of the jet-age design language were traded for the more angular and boxy angles of the coming years. Thanks to its fantastic design, the Coupe DeVille is remembered as one of the best-looking Cadillacs.

Rewinding further back into Cadillac's history, even before the idea of the land yacht was well known, the brand was already latching onto the spirit of grandness and excess. At this point, Cadillac had been around for 26 years, and they were starting to get into their groove. For the 1928 model year, Cadillac wanted to make their halo car, you guessed it, bigger. This meant an extension of the wheelbase to increase the car's actual length, but also an increase in the displacement of its V8 powerplant. 

The Series 341-A was Cadillac's top-of-the-line offering. Although it didn't have the smooth, low, and flat lines and proportions that we've come to associate with the idea of a land yacht these days, its looks and features still personified the idea. The exterior was decorated with chrome, hood ornaments, and even leather for the rear cargo container. The fenders were curvaceous, almost fluid, and the interior was spacious and full of the creature comforts of the day. The Cadillac Series 341-A was the symbol of luxury and exclusivity at the time, so much so that Al Capone owned a 1928 model. Being the personal car for someone like Capone leaves no room for questioning the 314-A's pure desirability and sense of exclusivity.

Today, the land yacht is a thing of the past. With SUVs dominating the car market, the low-profile slabs of luxury that shone so bright in the past have become rarer. There are still suitable offerings for an expensive, luxurious personal limousine, but despite advanced technologies, many of them just don't have the real flavor of old-fashioned excess. However, Cadillac hasn't given up on them quite yet. The 2025 Cadillac Celestiq is the brand's attempt to electrify and extend the lifespan of the great American land yacht.

The Celestiq is a real boat, measuring up to just over 18 feet long, and it is truly beautiful from front to end. The front fascia is low and wide in stature, and features a grille that is clearly related to the Lyriq. The car is mostly a sedan, although its rear end opens with a hatchback, which is outlined by sets of high and low taillights. The interior is suave and outstretched, and the whole thing, inside and out, can be customized to the extreme at the hands of the buyer, as each Celestiq will be made to order. The Celestiq is fully electric as well, with a dual-motor setup that produces 655 horsepower and silent speed and acceleration. It's modern and clean, but it very clearly evokes the style and substance of its ancestors. If you want the chic elegance of a land yacht in the modern day, the Celestiq is the answer.